Losing Distance
by Misura
Summary: Joey concludes that Seto has a crush on him but is too shy to take the first step. [SetoJoey]
1. Chapter 1

Losing distance

x

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, third pov, oocness

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

written at 9th august 2003, by Misura

xxxxxxxxxxxx

_He's doing it again._

Joey sighed, which earned him an odd look from Yugi.

He knew his friend was worried about him, but he refused to discuss what was bothering him. Of course this only resulted in Yugi getting even more worried about him.

_If only I could catch him at it once ..._

_... then he wouldn't be able to deny it anymore when I'd ask him about it._

Slowly counting to five, Joey turned around quickly, hoping to catch a pair of blue eyes.

_Damn. Missed again._

To all appearances, Seto was frowning over a maths-problem. Joey snorted softly, to let the other know he wasn't buying it for a moment.

_He actually wants me to believe the great Seto Kaiba has trouble with some easy maths?_

_Even -I- solved those problems fifteen minutes ago, and I hate numbers._

Joe stared intently at Seto's face, searching for a trace of a smile or another sign the CEO had noticed him. Nothing showed.

_Not that I expected anything else._

_Ice-cube Kaiba._

The thought lacked the venom it had once held. In fact, Joey was getting rather tired of Seto's constant coldness. It was fake, nothing but a mask to keep people away, so why couldn't he simply admit that and drop the act?

_I know he's interested in me. And I can't say I really mind._

What, exactly, had caused Seto's change in attitude Joey didn't know. All he knew was that one day, about two weeks agao, he had felt someone studying him. At first he had dismissed it as his own imagination, but gradually he became convinced he was right.

It was always Seto who was sitting behind him, seemingly occupied with something else, whenever Joey had that odd feeling of being watched. He was surprised to find he didn't entirely found the sensation unpleasant. Not at first, anyway.

After one week of observation, he had expected Seto to finally -do- something. They hadn't had a fight for quite a while then, which he took as another proof that Seto had somehow changed.

He had even gone as far as to make a list of things he could say in reply to Seto's offer of friendship, to make sure he wouldn't blow it.

_So what is it? Has he gone shy all of a sudden or something?_

_Have I been imagining all of this after all and has he simply grown bored of verbally sparring with a mutt like me?_

Angrily shaking his head, Joey tried to focus on the lesson again.

_Either way, he's annoying me. A lot._

_Maybe I should just ... what do I have to lose after all?_

_He's pretending to ignore me as it is and I can't say I like it one bit._

_Huh, guess I am pretty pathetic after all ; I'd rather have him taunt and call me names than not receive any of his attention at all._

At that moment, the bell rang, prompting books all through the class to be shut quickly, before their owners packed the rest of their stuff in their bags and hurried to the exit.

_Now I think me and Seto need to have a little chat._

xxxxx

"Kaiba! Wait up!" Not really caring about the odd looks people were giving him for yelling after a person he supposedly hated, Joey tried to catch up with Seto. Who seemed to be just as intent on departing as fast as possible as the blond was on having his 'little chat'.

Only when they got outside and the crowds of students thinned, Joey managed to get a hold on one of Seto's sleeves, effectively halting him.

_And probably pissing him off too, but hey, you can't have everything._

_At least I have his attention now._

"What. Do. You. Want." Seto bit each word off.

Releasing his sleeve, Joey raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "Just to talk to you for a couple of seconds."

"You could have -asked- instead of grabbing my clothes." Seto replied icily. "But then again, I guess a mutt like you doesn't know any better."

Joey counted to ten. Slowly.

"I called out to you. Repeatedly. Not my fault if you're deaf."

_Temper, Joey, temper. This is -not- supposed to turn into another argument, remember?_

Seto snorted. "I'm not like you, some dog you can order around. And you're wasting my time, no matter how amusing it is to put you back in your proper place. Get to the point or leave me alone. I'm busy."

Joey narrowed his eyes, feeling the anger build inside him. "All right then, Kaiba, I'll 'get to the point'. Which is that you're in love with me, only you're too scared to admit it openly."

_Take that, Seto Kaiba!_

to be continued


	2. Chapter 2

Losing distance

xx

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, third pov

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

written at 13th august 2003, by Misura

A very big 'thank you!' to the people who reviewed the first chapter. Since there were thirty of you, I chose not to reply to each of you individually. I hope you don't feel slighted because of that. –smiles and bows again in gratitude- I hope you'll all enjoy this second chapter as well.

Chapter note : unlike the previous chapter, this one is Seto-centered.

(Edited: Thanks to Puppie Love and ChibiSerenity3 for alerting me to some flaws. I tried to fix them a bit.)

xxxxxxxxxx

"You are utterly insane." Seto snarled. For some reason he didn't feel at ease with reacting too vehemently to Joey's words, even if he sounded no different from usual when they argued.

_Except that normally, we fight over how much we -dislike- each other._

_Not about whether or not we -love- one another. That's something new._

_And rather strange. Even if he -is- one of the few people I feel emotional about._

"I know what I saw." Joey persevered. "You're staring at me awfully often, you know, for someone who doesn't have any feelings for me. What's wrong with admitting it?"

_Well, maybe I don't want the whole school laughing at me for loving a mutt?_

_-If- I did love him, that is. Which I don't._

_He's just ... entertaining sometimes. Easy to bait. Fun to mess around with._

His mind chose to provide a mental image at that last phrase.

_-Not- in that way. Definitely not._

_I must be a little crazed myself to come up with something like that._

_Maybe the puppy's insanity is catching ..._

"It's not true, to begin with." Seto replied, doing his best to regain his cool.

Joey scoffed. "Oh? You say I'm imagining things?"

_This is almost too easy._

Seto smirked. "Didn't you state that you were a better Duelist than me, two days ago? I'd think that idea definitely was a product of your fantasy. Maybe you should spend more time on actually studying and practicing. It might do you some good, though of course you'll never reach -my- level."

"Good to hear." Joey shot back. "I'd hate to sink -that- low."

_That was a pretty good reply. _

_-I- could have used that one, but I hadn't expected it from him._

_Which means I can't come up with an intelligent response that will put him back in his place right away._

A rumbling sound and the feeling of the first drops of rain spared Seto an answer. Joey glanced at the darkened sky and cursed softly under his breath.

"Is the puppy afraid of a little water?" he questioned mockingly.

_He must have forgotten his raincoat or something ; he only has that jacket with him._

"Stop calling me that." Joey glared at him. "And I'm just worried about my books getting wet, that's all. They're not mine and if they get wet, I'll have to pay for the damage."

"Hmmm, I see." Seto studied the clouds. "My guess would be that it will start pouring any minute now. I don't give you much of a chance to get home dry."

"I'll simply have to try." Joey shrugged. "It's not like I have any other option."

"Well," Seto hesitated. "I could offer you a ride."

_What on earth am I thinking?! Why would I help him? He means less than nothing to me._

"Why would you do that?" Joey asked with a frown, in a near-echo of Seto's thoughts.

_Good question. I wish I knew the answer._

"Do you want it or not?" Seto inquired, annoyed at both the blond's suspicion and his own uncertainty about his motivations.

_And do -I- want you to say 'yes' or not? _

_What's wrong with me? Why am I doing this?_

_He can't be right about me being in love with him. Besides, if he truly was that sure, why wouldn't he trust me enough to accept a ride?_

_It was only a bluff, another attempt to make a fool out of me. Nothing more._

"Uhm ... " Joey bit his lower lip. "Yeah. I guess. Thanks."

_My, my, that was a hard word to say to me, wasn't it, mutt? _

_You don't like owing me anything, do you?_

"Follow me then." Seto said, briskly turning around to walk in the direction of his car. He heard Joey's footsteps behind him, accompanied by the blond's angry muttering, too soft to make out any words.

_Not too hard to guess what he's annoyed about._

_He's so easy to read, so incredibly predictable too._

_Still, I hadn't expected him to just step up to me and tell me -I- love -him-. _

_The other way around, perhaps, but not ..._

_Does he even feel that way about me? Or have I been mistaken all this time?_

"Having second thoughts about letting me in your precious car?" Joey informed, noticing the frown on Seto's face.

"No. So would you just get in already? My time's valuable."

_I shouldn't take my bad temper out on him ... _

_What?! Why wouldn't I? What do I care if I hurt his feelings?_

"You know where I live?" Joey asked, sounding slightly nervous, as well as, to Seto's surprise, humble. Just a little, but still ...

"Yes." Seto replied curtly.

_Yes, I know where you live. And a whole lot more._

_I know your mother left you with an alcoholic father when she walked out of the house with your sister._

_I know what you eat for lunch, and what marks you have for most classes._

_I know everything about you ever entered in a computer with an Internet-connection._

_The only subject that has me stumped is -why- I bothered to find out all that._

-two down, three to go-


	3. Chapter 3

Losing distance

xxx

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, third pov, Mokuba

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

written at 16th august 2003, by Misura

Thanks to the people who reviewed the second chapter:

To Kumori Sakusha formerly Saelbu: I'll try to update this fic every Monday. –smiles-

To Leaf Zelindor: -grins- That's such an unkind word. Why can't he be 'in love'? Thank you.

To DBZHobbit: -grins- Thank you!

To Puppie Love: Thank you, both for the pointers and the praise. –smiles-

To Snow Angel: Thank you!

To Ranma Higurashi: It's so obvious, isn't it? –winks- Thank you!

To Iba: Thank you. I feel more comfortable writing Joey most of the time, which might cause the difference. Or not. –smiles ruefully-

To ChibiSerenity3: Thank you very much for the con. crit. on my portrayal of Kaiba in this. Kaiba's not really intended to sound like he's having mixed feelings; it's more that he knows perfectly well why he did what he did, but denies it even to himself. I probably should have brought that out a bit more clearly, but the whole point of denial is, of course, -not- to be obvious about something. –frowns and wonders if that made any sense to you-

To Killian: Aww, c'mon, you know how it's going to end, right? –winks-

To Alessa Embers: Thank you, thank you, thank you. (I got no activation e-mail from the C2, so now I'm hoping ffnet will tell me what the problem is.)

To Moonbeam: I'll try to update every Monday.

To FungiFungusRayne: Thank you! –smiles-

To hershey-kiss: Thank you! –smiles … again-

To Misori Chan: Ah, but wouldn't –you- want a stalker like him? Thank you!

To s.h.i.r.o.i.k.e.t.s.u.e.k.i: Denial is a wonderful thing. Well, kind of. Thank you!

To CaptainInuyasha777: I try to update every Monday. Thank you!

To Kiawna: -nodnods- He is. Thank you!

To Joey-lover: -smirks- Well, he'll get something to make up for it. Thank you!

To Darkest Aphelion: Yes, that is somewhat vague, isn't it? –smiles guiltily-

To pisces071: Thank you!

To DarkShadowFlame: Well, Kaiba's good at changing the subject. And Joey's kind of letting him, for now. (I don't think Joey'd make a good president though. Even if Mai'd probably be a fabulous First Lady. Hehe.) Thank you!

To Star Light Shadow: A kiss? Well, who knows? –winks- Thank you!

To Alana-Star/SugarCat: Thank you.

To RaineKitsune: Hmm, but isn't it stalking only if your victim doesn't know? And isn't willing? –winks- Thank you!

To Sierra's Darkness (Hanna): Thank you!

To Elusia: Thank you! I hope you'll still think him cute when he gets over it. –winks-

To radiany: Perhaps, if I were a painter, I could properly reply to your words here. But I'm not. And, if truth be told, I seldom feel comfortable with revealing any kind of personal emotion on-line, as you may have noticed in my lj. Thus, I think I'll hide behind the line: 'I feel honored you think so highly of me.' Inadequate, but true as well. –smilebeamblushcowers-

Chapter note : unlike the previous chapter, this one is Joey-centered. Mokuba pops up halfway.

Chapter warning : time's slightly messed up in this chapter. sorry.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Joey wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do; the silence was grating on his nerves, but he couldn't exactly think of something to talk about either.

_I already thanked him; I'm not going to do that again._

_He knows the way to my house somehow, so he probably won't appreciate me giving pointers either. I -could- bring up something from school, except that I haven't really been bothering to pay that much attention in class._

_Is Kaiba a good student that way? I'm not entirely sure. He always seems to be staring at that laptop of his. Or me._

_I hadn't expected him to react to my accusation like he did. _

_Maybe I am just a stupid mutt after all, imagining he likes me while we're bickering all the time. Not that I'll ever admit that to him, of course._

The sound of a cell-phone ringing interrupted Joey's train of thoughts. Kaiba checked the number and chose to immediately answer the call, to Joey's surprise. Most often, when Kaiba's cell-phone rang in class, he'd simply put the thing on silent mode for a while, ignoring the teacher's glares at disturbing their lessons.

_Hmmm. I wonder who's so important._

"Mokuba?"

_I should've known that._

Apparently Kaiba's little brother had quite a lengthy story to tell, since Kaiba hardly spoke a word during the next few minutes, save an occasional 'Hm' and 'Yes, I see'.

Finally, Kaiba ended the conversation with an 'I'll be there in half an hour.'

xxxxx

"Uhm, you're taking a wrong turn." Joey remarked, promptly receiving a -completely unjustified- glare from Kaiba. "What?"

_It's true, Mr. I-know-where-you-live._

"I need to pick up Mokuba. His soccer-practice was canceled due to the bad weather."

"Well, let me out here then. I can walk the last bit." Joey offered.

_Couldn't he have said that a wee bit sooner? Like, before he took that turn?_

"You'd get wet. It's pouring out there." Kaiba stated. "And I offered you a ride home, not a ride to the corner of the street where you live. It'll only take a little longer this way."

_Well, he has a point there but ..._

"I hadn't expected you to be so eager to get back home, considering ... the way things are there." Kaiba continued.

Joey shot him a quick glance, but Kaiba's face was as unreadable as always.

_Where the heck did -that- remark come from? _

_What does -he- know about 'the way things are' at my house?_

_Or am I just hearing too much in this and is this merely another attempt of his to get under my skin? Though I'd say I gave him a golden opportunity with my 'you're in love with me!' this afternoon._

"Well, I have homework to do." Joey replied weakly.

_Yeah, like I ever bother with that. Unless it's fun, of course. Like that project for History._

Kaiba snorted, but didn't say anything.

xxxxx

"Thanks, big brother!" Mokuba beamed, getting in the car half-soaked from running the short distance between car-door and school-exit. "Oh, hi, Joey."

"Hello, Mokuba."

_I wonder what he thinks of me being in Kaiba's car._

_Let's hope he doesn't jump to conclusions or flaps out something completely embarrassing._

_It's kind of cute when he does it around people like Yami and Malik, since I sure didn't think -anything- could make those two blush, but to be on the receiving end of one of his 'innocent questions' myself is -not- something I think I'd enjoy._

"So ... are you two on a date?" Mokuba inquired after a few moments.

_Huh. Guess it could have been worse._

"No. I don't date dogs." Kaiba replied with a look that was probably meant to tell his little brother to drop the subject.

_I doubt if that's going to work._

True enough, Mokuba made quite a show of studying Joey, to the point of brushing aside his blond hair to check his ears.

"I have good news for you then, big brother. Joey's just as human as you are. You can date him if you want to." Mokuba grinned, obviously having a good time.

_I'd like to think I'm a whole lot more human than the dreaded Seto Kaiba, kiddo._

"I'm still not interested." Kaiba shrugged.

"Okay." Mokuba smiled brightly. "Is he going to have dinner with us?"

"No." Joey said at the same time as Kaiba.

Mokuba looked disappointed.

"Sorry, but my dad's counting on me." Even if Joey -knew- Mokuba was shamelessly using his innocent face to manipulate him, he still felt a bit guilty.

"It's 18:30 already." Kaiba remarked.

Joey cursed. "He's going to kill me."

Mokuba eyed him worriedly. "Is he that bad? You make him sound like a meanie."

"He's - " Joey hastened to defend the one parent who on occasion seemed to care about him.

" - an alcoholic." Seto cut in smoothly. "Half the time he doesn't even know he has a son."

_How dare he say something like that! ... Even if it's the truth, kind of._

"Why don't you eat with us then?" Mokuba proposed. "That way, you can wait out the rain at our house too. I can show you my new computer-game. It'll be fun!"

_It's really hard to stay mad at Kaiba in front of his kid-brother._

_And that plan doesn't sound half bad either; a lot better than going home to get yelled at for not being in time, or to find there's no dinner._

"Well ... " he hesitated.

_Dad'll probably be mad at me tomorrow._

_-If- he remembers._

_Which he might not, if I sneak back in carefully enough._

"All right then."

Mokuba whooped with joy, while Kaiba grumbled something about little brothers who invited people for dinner without asking permission first.

-two more to come-


	4. Chapter 4

Losing distance

xxxx

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, third pov, Mokuba, major oocness and plotholes.

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

written at 21st august 2003, by Misura

Thanks to the people who reviewed the third chapter:

To Kumori Sakusha formerly Saelbu: Thank you! –smiles-

To CaptainInuyasha777: Glad to hear you liked it. –smiles-

To Leaf Zelindor: I do like writing Mokuba. Thank you! –smiles-

To Puppie Love: -nods- I'd be pretty angry, though I imagined Joey to be too impulsive to react to more than only the accusation itself. Perhaps I do him an injustice in that but … I'm glad to hear you liked the chapter. –beams-

To Snow Angel: First Rule of The Universe: Mokuba's always right. And he knows it. –winks- Thank you!

To DBZHobbit: He will, he will. –grins-

To Alessa Embers: Thank you! (I'll let you know if I get a reply from ffnet.)

To FREAK014: Thank you! And yes, Mokuba is manipulative. –winks-

To Joey-lover: Actually, dinner doesn't take all that long. It's Joey, after all. –winks- Thanks!

To Rainekitsune: Thank you! –smiles-

To DarkShadowFlame: I've no idea about school-times, which is why I cowardly added a 'messed-up-time'-warning to cover the plothole. –blushes- Gramps might make a good president although … he's a bit of a pervert, isn't he? That might cause some trouble.

To Killian: Thank you, also on my Mokuba-muse's behalf. –smiles-

To ChibiSerenity3: In my interpretation, Joey'd be too busy defending his father to do much thinking, and Kaiba knowingly pushes him. (The attack is the best defense, and all that.) Once Joey has had a moment to think about it, yes, he might figure things out. And he will. Maybe I'm doing him an injustice in portraying him as so easily distracted. Sorry. I don't quite agree about using present tense in a generalization in indirect speech. In direct speech, yes, but not in indirect speech. I'll check my grammar book for it though; thanks for letting me know that line felt wrong to you. As well as for the rest of your review. –smiles-

To Iba: Sorry for being cliched. –blushes- And yes, this chapter's back to Kaiba. Sorry.

To s.h.i.r.o.i.k.e.t.s.u.e.k.i: Thank you! –smiles-

To Flame Swordswoman: I tried to keep all angst out of this fic, really. –grins sheepishly- Thank you very much!

To Sierra's Darkness: Thank you! –smiles and blushes-

To SetoKaibaWheeler: Thank you!

To MariksGurl666: Actually, I think I always use the same plot: Kaiba x Joey. –winks- Thank you!

To Kiawna: Thank you! I hope they won't disappoint.

To SilverWing147: Thank you! –bows and smiles-

To Ranma Higurashi: Thanks, I did my best.

To Star Light Shadow: Remember that I didn't promise anything. I just wouldn't mind them kissing myself. –winks- Thank you!

To Lethe Seraph: Mokuba as a god … -gets bitten by a plotbunny- Thank you! Supportive reviews are helpful too, I think. They make me write. –winks-

To I-love-bakura1489: Funny things? Well, I guess that depends on your sense of humor. –winks- Thank you! –blushes-

To Elusia: Thank you! –smiles-

To Silver Wing tamer: Thank you! And of course, Mokuba will use his special powers some more.

Chapter note : unlike the previous chapter, this one is Seto-centered.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Walking up to their mansion, Seto threw Mokuba a silent glare.

_What are you trying to accomplish by this, little brother?_

Mokuba merely grinned again and started to babble to Joey about his collection of games.

_What? The puppy's more fun to talk to than me?_

Feeling a mix of anger and hurt, Seto walked to the kitchen, slamming the first thing he got his hands on in the oven for dinner, which happened to be a pizza of some sort.

_Tough luck if the mutt doesn't like it. _

_Though I never noticed him having any preference or taste when it comes to food._

True enough as soon as it was ready, half of the pizza had vanished into Joey's stomach before Seto had finished his own slice. Mokuba fared a little better since he was already halfway his third part when the last crumb of pizza had disappeared from the plate.

"I take it the dinner was to your liking," Seto stated icily.

_Personally I don't really mind, but Mokuba's still a kid in growth. And a slightly spoilt one at that; he needs his vegetables, even if they're only the topping on a pizza._

"It wasn't too bad." Joey admitted generously.

Mokuba jumped up from his seat. "Come on, Joey, let's go see if you can -really- beat me at TurtleRacing! Even my big brother can't, and he's the best in everything!" A winning smile was sent in the direction of Seto.

_Thanks, Mokuba, I love you too._

_Even if you were only saying it to get out of having to help with putting things in the dish-washing machine, it was still nice._

"Kick his ass for me, Mokuba. And have fun." Seto returned the smile.

_You'd better beat him; I only lost because I like to see you happy when you win._

_I'm not going to put up with that puppy claiming superior skills in any field._

"Hah!" Joey snorted. "That's -so- not going to happen."

Mokuba winked confidently at Seto, before pulling Joey along to his computer-room.

xxxxx

"I'm the best!" Mokuba beamed, as he walked into the living room, about two hours later.

Joey grinned a little sheepishly. "He's much too good for me I'm afraid."

"Hey, you did pretty well." Mokuba protested. "Almost as good as Seto."

"Thanks ... I think." Joey replied. Seto could tell from the expression on his face the blonde didn't like being ranked below him.

_How many times do I have to prove to you that I'm your superior, that I'm, as that young lady Mai Valentine so charmingly put it, 'way out of your league'?_

_That I'm -not- attracted to you, because we're simply too different?_

"You mean you're actually -using- that brain of yours sometimes?" Seto sneered.

Joey scowled at him, but before he could say anything, Mokuba stepped between them, his hands balled in fists and glaring at both his big brother and Joey.

"Don't spoil this evening by bickering, you two. Let's go watch that movie I wanted to see. Your promised I could see it!" Mokuba quickly added that last line, when he noticed Seto meaningfully looking at the clock. "Please?"

_Hmmm, he's right; I -did- promise._

"I think maybe I should bring Joey home first," Seto proposed.

_I have few evenings to spend with Mokuba already; I'm not about to let the puppy ruin this one for me._

"But then you'll miss the start!" Mokuba objected. "Why can't he stay and watch the movie with us? We have plenty of guestrooms where he could spend the night."

Seto's eyes narrowed as he noticed the slight emphasis put on 'could', as if Mokuba was convinced Joey wasn't going to sleep in one of those guestrooms at all, but instead ...

_Where? What's Mokuba up to?_

"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea, Mokuba," Joey remarked, seeing the scowl on Seto's face.

_For once, I agree with him._

"Come on, Joey, it's 'Harry Potter and the Mudblood Revolt' !" Mokuba exclaimed. "Don't tell me you don't want to see that one; it's great!"

Joey hesitated. He -did- want to watch that movie, only when he'd seen it in the TV-guide he'd had little hope of being able to do so, since his father would probably want to watch something else.

"I ... "

"Fine, he stays," Seto growled unexpectedly. "I'll go make some pop-corn then."

_Before I do something stupid and undignified, like trying to strangle either Mokuba or the mutt._

As soon as his big brother was out of hearing distance, Mokuba turned to Joey, an innocent look on his face that told the blond he was in serious danger.

"So ... Joey, tell me, how do you like my brother? He can be a bit annoying at times, but on the whole he's pretty cool, don't you think?"

-next chapter will be the last one, bringing this fic to a cheesy ending-

Extra disclaimer : I don't own Harry Potter. The title was rumored to be the title of the sixth book at the time I wrote this chapter. (Same rumor had it 'Harry Potter and the Quest for the Centaur' would be the title of the seventh part.)


	5. Chapter 5

Losing distance

xxxxx

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, third pov, Mokuba

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. The references to the movie are made up and I don't own Harry Potter either.

written at 26th august 2003, by Misura

Thanks to the people who reviewed the fourth chapter:

To Leaf Zelindor: Hmm. I wouldn't mind having a little brother like Mokuba, really. Not if he'd hook me up with guys like Joey. –winks- Thank you!

To i-love-bakura1489: Well, I'll be posting another fic coming Monday. I hope you'll like that one as much as you did this one. (Or more.) –smiles- Thank you!

To Snow Angel: Writing's my obsession, I guess. –blushes- Thank you very much!

To I luv Kai: Yes, I've heard that one too. Recently. Which wasn't when I wrote this fic. –coughs and points at date- Thank you!

To DarkShadowFlame: (Just for the record, my only possible objection to Odion for president would be that he's too accommodating. He puts up with way too much from 'Master Malik'.) Well, I wrote this over a year ago, so the rumor's stale. Considering the number of people who commented on it, maybe I should have updated it though. –coughblushes- Thank you!

To Alessa Embers: You … ? –glares at ffnet for cutting off the review- Thank you for the part that did get through though. –smiles-

To Iba: I usually feel guilty about using Mokuba in my plots, but he's simply too convenient. –coughblushes- Thank you!

To Killian: The answer? Well, uhm, you see … it got lost? And yeah, he is. –winks-

To Star Light Shadow: I did write this over a year ago, and I kind of feel bad about some of the things I put in here. So I hope your faith won't be unjustified. Thank you!

To ChibiSerenity3: Well, it's been pointed out that the average kid of Mokuba's age would be more likely to go 'Ewww, gross!' at the thought of his big brother kissing someone than to actively support it. I kind of agree to that, if not enough to dish this fic. I don't have any siblings, so I've no first-hand experience in the matter. Thank you!

To Sierra's Darkness: I don't think I could stop. Heh. –winks and smiles- Thank you!

To Caecuslupa: I did, I did. Thanks.

To Ranma Higurashi: Is it that obvious? –grins- Thank you!

To Icy Flame: He bribed the writer to skip the answer. –coughblushes- I hope you'll still like this last chapter. Thank you!

To Kiawna: … are you psychic? –winks- Thank you!

To Kumori Sakusha formerly Saelbu: -grins- Thank you!

To Misori Chan: We-ell, I wanted to get this fic out of my folder with unposted fics, so I updated it weekly. (And I still have people yelling 'update soon' at me.) And after this chapter, I think you'll know what 'cheesy' means. –blushes- Thank you!

To Elusia: Give in to the temptation; they're good. Thank you!

To SilverWing147: One week is pretty soon, right? –smiles- Thank you!

To Joey-lover: Actually, I wrote this over a year ago. –points at date- But thank you for the encouragement! –smiles-

To Moonbeam: I know, I did?

To Pikpik246: -pouts- And you didn't review? –winks- I hope it wasn't because you disliked them.

To Rocker-Baby-176: Whoa, thanks. Though I'd like to think I wrote better fics. –winks- Thank you!

To Yukiko-Angel: Yup. Hope you'll like it.

To FREAK014: -sweatdrops and smiles-

Chapter note : unlike all previous chapters, this one is Mokuba-centered.

Chapter warning : a kiss

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

After barely one quarter, Mokuba yawned for the first time. Seto didn't say anything of it, nor of those that followed, though his looks spoke volumes.

Joey was far too wrapt up in the movie to notice anything, but since Mokuba had dragged his big brother to the cinemas four times to watch this particular episode in the Harry Potter-serie, Seto wasn't that interested in what was going on on the screen.

In the second commercial break, Mokuba was sprawled on the couch, his face covered by his raven-black hair, snoring softly. Joey blinked as if awakening from a trance, while Seto fought to keep from smiling at the adorable picture his little brother presented.

"I'll go tuck him in," he said softly, rising to gather Mokuba in his arms and carry him to bed. He felt Joey's eyes following him, a slightly weird look in them. Seto wasn't entirely sure what was going to Joey's mind; perhaps that was for the better.

After Seto had deposited him in his bed, Mokuba mumbled softly, seemingly missing something. With a soft smile, Seto picked up the Blue Eyes-plushie that had fallen to the floor. Hugging it, Mokuba curled up under the blankets. Brushing some stray hairs out of his little brother's face, Seto returned to the living room in a much better mood than he had been all evening.

Left alone in the dark, Mokuba grinned, sliding out of bed to sneak back and watch what was going on in the living room. Before he left, he grabbed an object from his desk that he had been saving to use for a situation like this.

xxxxx

Joey wasn't following the heroic efforts of Harry to save Snape anymore. Instead, he was studying Seto, only averting his gaze to the screen whenever the other boy turned his head, to prevent from getting caught at staring.

After a while, of course, Seto grew tired of it.

"If you insist on looking at me, rather than the movie, you could at least be honest about it," he remarked.

"I'm not looking at you," Joey replied, intensely staring at Hermione and Ginny swinging their wands to fend off a group of Death Eaters.

"Yes, you are." Seto insisted, abusing his control of the remote to turn off the TV. Part of him pointed out that this might not be a prudent moment to have this conversation, with Joey having accused him of being in love with him so recently, but Seto ignored it. "For no reason I can discern. Do I have a stain on my shirt?"

"Well, why were -you- looking at -me- today?" Joey inquired, deciding an attack might be his best defense. It was one thing to blurt out his hopes slash supsicions about Seto having a crush on him, but quite another to have Seto find out that Joey was actually the one having a crush.

Seto frowned. "I wasn't doing anything of the sort. You're imagining things."

"Hah." Joey snorted, shaking his head. "Put the movie back on; I want to know how it ends."

"I've already seen it; I can tell you anything you want to know." Seto offered, feeling generous.

"Yeah, well, right now I want to know why you were watching me," Joey pressed, not about to be distracted again. "Why don't you tell me that?"

Seto seemed to consider the question for a while. "Maybe I did it for the same reason you were doing it."

Joey opened his mouth, probably to deny the implicit accusation in that remark, then thought better of it. "Maybe? What kind of an answer is that? Aren't you able to make up your mind?"

"Are you?" Seto retorted, a challenge in his gaze. He refused to take the first step in this; Joey had started the whole thing, so Joey should finish it too, if he wanted to.

"That's a pretty good question." Joey rose, slowly walking over to where Seto sat nestled on the couch, that seemed rather empty without Mokuba.

Seto watched him, the corners of his mouth slightly twisting upwards in the shadow of a smile.

Bending his head down, Joey brushed his lips past Seto's, too soft to be called a proper kiss, yet too deliberate to be called an accident. Seto was too stunned to react at first, and after the first few seconds, he decided it was too late anyway. He might as well enjoy it while it lasted, and deal with Joey's accusations later.

"I think the answer is 'yes'," Joey stated, when they broke apart.

"That's good to hear," Seto murmured, feeling a bit dazed. Probably due to a lack of oxygen, he decided. Obviously, it wasn't because of anything so silly as 'butterflies in his stomach' or something like that.

Joey grinned, moving his head to make their lips meet again, when all of a sudden a bright flash came from the direction of the half-closed door to the hall.

"What - "

Seto shot up, nearly bumping into Joey. "Mokuba!"

Mokuba cautiously peeked into the room, slightly relaxing when he saw Seto was still standing near the couch instead of, say, stalking in -his- direction with an expression on his face that promised certain death. Or being grounded for the next year.

He was still holding the camera in his right-hand. Mokuba had -thought- he'd put the flash-light on 'off', but it seemed he'd been mistaken. Oh well, at least the pictures wouldn't be underlit now.

"Ah ... sorry for interrupting?" Mokuba tried, giving Seto one of his best innocent smiles.

"When I get my hands on you ... " Seto started ominously.

His tone of voice still scared Mokuba a little, even if he knew his big brother would never actually harm him beyond the occasional 'Go to your room, now!' or 'No more chocolate for you today'.

With a soft 'eep!' Mokuba sprinted down the hall, opting for safety over everything. Besides, he had to make sure Seto wouldn't destroy the evidence of his little 'slip' with Joey. Even if Joey probably wouldn't let him forget about it either ...

Dropping back on his bed after having locked the door to his room, Mokuba contentedly went to sleep, mentally calculating when it'd be the best time to smuggle the camera out of the house to have the photos be developed.

xxxxx

"Why doesn't that ever happen in the movies?" Joey wondered aloud, staring at the now-empty door-opening.

"Because nobody in Hollywood can imagine any pest being as bad as Mokuba," Seto grumbled.

Joey grinned. "C'mon, don't you want a photograph of our first kiss, to show it to people on our wedding-day?"

Seto blinked.

Joey looked at him innocently. "What? You're still going to deny that you're head over heels in love with me, after all that?"

With a groan, Seto decided that there probably was only one way to have the blonde shut up about his delusions about Seto loving him. One fool-proof, satisfaction-guaranteed way.

And so, before Joey could say another word, he used it.

OWARI


End file.
